President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive for the arrest and trial of public servants and military officers indicted by the presidential panel probing the purchase of arms and ammunition worth N1.112 trillion has thrown fear and panic into former service chiefs who served in the administration of former president Goodluck Jonathan.
According to informed security sources, the response made by the embattled ex-national security adviser, Col Sambo Dasuki (rtd), to the order has also compounded their problem as Dasuki gave away some of their names as witnesses to prove his innocence.
According to a security source, the response made by Dasuki may have pushed them into a dilemma as they are awaiting what befalls them as events unfold.
“I can confirm it on good authority that the ex-service chiefs have been calling some top military officers, trying to find out the level of their involvement in the committee’s findings, and most have reached out to the current NSA, pleading to return some of the alleged missing funds to avoid the President’s sledge-hammer as well as prosecution.
“I am aware that some of these former (service) chiefs are away from the country for now. Shortly after their retirements, they relocated abroad at least to rest. But what is happening now must have thrown them into a panic because they know deep down in their hearts that the performance of our troops under their watch was unacceptable to the Commander-in-Chief (Buhari) right from the electioneering days. I was shocked at reading the statement issued by Dasuki and that has pitched them against the President,” the source said.
“Whoever is indicted by the panel among them, or whose name was mentioned in Dasuki’s response, would be in a dilemma now, whether to clear himself or keep silent until he is summoned.”
Speaking in the same vein, another top military officer said, “The on-going probe may consume those who played one role or the other in all the contracts awarded. I am aware all the contracts for the purchase of the arms and other equipment got the approval of former president Goodluck Jonathan but they were all handled by the Office of the National Security Adviser. Whatever happens in the court will show whether due process was followed or not on Dasuki’s watch.”
A middle-level officer expressed disappointment in how fine and hardworking officers and men “lost their lives or commissions in the ongoing war against terror over poor ammunition. I remember our days in Maiduguri; it was God that saved us. Whoever is indicted must be sanctioned as deterrence.”
Buhari on Tuesday gave a directive that all indicted persons in the interim report by AVM J.O.N. Ode (rtd) panel be arrested and brought to book, when he received the interim report of the 13-man committee set up by the Office of the NSA to audit the procurement of arms and equipment in the Armed Forces and Defence sector from 2007 to date,.
According to a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, the NSA during the administration of former president Goodluck Jonathan, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd.), was one of those indicted in the report.
I did no wrong –Ex-NSA
However, in his reaction to the directive, Dasuki dismissed all the allegations with a wave of the hand, named some service chiefs as his witnesses and cited some dated documents to back up his defence.
In a statement personally signed by him, the embattled former service chief explained his office’s part in every purchase under his watch.
He said: “Nigerians should note that all the Services generated the types of equipment needed, sourced for suppliers most times and, after consideration by the Office of the NSA, the president will approve the application for payment.
“For sensitive sectors (military/security), there was no room for awarding fictitious contracts. The conclusions of the panel were presumptive, baseless and lacked diligence.
“There were no fictitious contracts; contract sums were not diverted and the relevant Services acknowledged, in writing, the delivery of equipment. For all procurements, the Nigerian Army, the Air Force and the Nigerian Navy have their contractors.”
Dasuki also accused the Presidency of trying to nail the immediate-past service chiefs and other unnamed public officers who served the nation with patriotic zeal.
“While awaiting the judicial process on these allegations, it is proper to make some references to show that the Presidency was just desperate to hang some former public and military officers who served this nation at the risk of their lives.
“It is laughable for the panel to assume that four Alpha jets and 12 helicopters were undelivered. In a memo to the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), referenced NAF/905/D/CAS of November 28, 2014, the immediate-past chief of air staff, Air Chief Marshal Adesola Amosu, acknowledged the receipt of the 4x Alpha jets attack aircraft and the helicopters.
“On 10/21/14, the Chief of Air Staff also confirmed the receipt of F-7 N1 aircraft, combination of 250kg bombs and accessories at $2,894,000 with the cost of freight at $1,200,000. The same Air Force confirmed getting 2xTri Shield 36DG tactical radars
“In another letter of December 1, 2014, signed by L.S. Alao (on behalf of the Chief of Air Staff), the Air Force said it received five containerised fuel storage and dispensing units with equipment.
“The Nigerian Army wrote the ONSA to acknowledge the delivery of 14 armoured tanks. In a December 13, 2014 memo, the Brigade of Guards thanked ONSA for releasing N30 million for RCA, operation allowances for troops on Op Urban Sweep II for third and fourth quarters of 2014. This is apart from the installation of CCT cameras at the Brigade Headquarters, two backscatter bomb detection vans and other equipment.
“On November 26, 2014, the immediate-past Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, sought approval for the award of one pair of uniform (in the interim) for the Armed Forces at N165,375 to El-Jahab Mubarak Nigeria and N330,750,000 for two pairs.
“These are some of the acknowledgment letters submitted to me by the end users (the Services). It is not for me to go and find out whether the equipment was delivered or not. I was not the one keeping the inventories.”
To further prove his innocence, Dasuki disclosed what he did shortly before handing over to his successor in office.
“To show that I have nothing to hide, I submitted a comprehensive list of all requests for procurements by the Services, the items bought and those equipment being awaited, to His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, long before I left office. If there were issues, I should have been questioned.
“I was just the clearing house, I did not award contracts to my company or proxies. There was no contract awarded or equipment bought without approval from the then president and commander-in-chief. I am not a thief or treasury looter as being portrayed.”
Dasuki insisted his hands were clean and that he was ready to prove his innocence in court.
He continued: “In order not to endanger the nation’s security, there are many salient issues and contracts which I cannot put in public domain. I am ready for trial on all these allegations in order to prove to Nigerians that I did nothing untoward in office. We will certainly meet in court.
“I have a lot to tell Nigerians but, in the interim, they should not believe some of the allegations as the gospel truths. The good thing is that some of the key actors in the present administration were part of the past process being viciously challenged.
-Leadership